If you’ve ever suffered through a difficult lesson, you were likely not in Gary Griffith’s class. Griffith teaches geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), quality audits, measuring and gaging, and other quality-related subjects, and though the technical aspects could make for a dry learning experience, his students say Griffith makes it fun.

In the early 17th century, Galileo Galilei discovered that he could focus his telescope to examine small objects up close. Around 1620, it is believed that Cornelius Drebbel invented the compound microscope. In the 1670s, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek began experimenting with very high-magnification, single-lensed microscopes that he designed himself. 

The power of smart cameras lies in their ability to combine a wide range of functions—locating objects, extracting data from barcodes, “reading” alphanumeric characters—into a single, compact device. 

Quality is often misunderstood. More specifically, the benefits of a well implemented quality management system (QMS) are not universally known and appreciated, and that can cost lives. Conversely, when executives and manufacturing personnel understand the benefits of a QMS, patient outcomes improve, the quality of life is enhanced, and manufacturers prosper.

In these highly competitive times, it may seem as though improving productivity is the key to market share. Manufacturers often focus on improving productivity and managing, controlling and reducing costs. 

Statistical process control (SPC) charts are used in quality-focused facilities to monitor process output on a continual basis and alert process operators, managers and the support staff in real-time when the process is shifting towards an undesirable condition.

FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance is mandatory for medical device and pharmaceutical companies that supply products into the United States.

The explosive growth of robots shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, especially in manufacturing. We are not quite to the level of a ‘90s action movie, but robots are certainly popping up in a lot more places these days. What may come as a surprise is the many ways companies are now using these robots, especially when it comes to metrology.

This question would seem to be an easy one to answer but—like too many things in life—nothing is simple anymore. This is due to the absence of standardized rules on which to base the decision which will vary from one organization to another.

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. It’s a famous line from “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” uttered by a more-than-thirsty sailor on a ship bereft of fresh water as he is forced to stare at an ocean of sea water he cannot use to satiate his need. 

In my younger years, whenever I heard “It is better to give than to receive,” I thought it related to birthday and Christmas presents. Now—because with age comes wisdom—I understand that giving has a much broader meaning. 

Starrett’s video based measurement system solutions feature  the company’s new HVR100 “FLIP” Digital Video System, the industry’s first vision system to work upright vertically, or on its side horizontally, a unique function for application versatility. 

Demonstrated by Dr. Joseph M. Juran’s Spiral of Progress, implementing quality is an evolutionary process. This point is so important that countless books and articles have been written on this subject.

As one of the most common mechanical components in the world, roller elements are of critical importance. It is necessary for bearings and raceways to be carefully engineered and manufactured so that the machines which use them are as safe and stable as possible.

Innovations in the electronics and semiconductor industries have birthed two relentless trends. Both profoundly impact both product designers and those charged with assuring that what was designed is what was manufactured. The trends are: higher densities for components, boards and processors, and the need for very high precision in the metal plating that enables functionality.

In the previous article, we touched upon NDT 4.0 and provided a glimpse into what it is and how it is transforming industries around the globe. Now we will dive into a segment of NDT 4.0, automation, and look at some examples that highlight how it is changing companies for the better.

What is Industry 4.0? This buzzword seems to have been thrown around for quite some time now. How is it affecting today’s NDT manufacturing processes compared to the past? What new technologies have risen from Industry 4.0 in the past few years to benefit NDT? To answer all these questions, it is important to look back and understand how it came to be.

According to ASTM E1316-17a and NET.net, a flaw is defined as ‘‘an imperfection or discontinuity that may be detectable by nondestructive testing and is not necessarily rejectable.” 

This article will list and explain why each magnetic particle inspection accessory is needed to validate the system performance of an inspection.

Exact Metrology announced the availability of its Artec LEO 3D scanner, the first scanner to offer onboard automatic processing with an integrated touch panel viewer. This frees users from being tied to a computer for data capture.

Designed to meet the cleanliness requirements of modern industry, the OLYMPUS CIX100 cleanliness inspector is a turnkey system for counting, analyzing and classifying micron-sized contaminants down to 2.5 µm.

The new model 1110 Lightmeter from AEMC is designed to record light intensity of incandescent, fluorescent and LED sources. It is battery powered, compact, lightweight, and simple-to-use with direct access to all functions. 

Peratech launched its QTC®-based EDGE force-sensing solution that delivers User Experience (UX) differentiation and functionality for smartphones, wearables, and tablets.

The Marposs Grindline laser measuring system for on-line gauging of parts produced by centerless grinding machines such as pins, shock rods, steering racks or other parts needing a single diameter check prevents machining of out-of-tolerance pieces to reduce scrap, save time and help companies achieve zero-defect production.

Starrett’s video based measurement system solutions feature  the company’s new HVR100 “FLIP” Digital Video System, the industry’s first vision system to work upright vertically, or on its side horizontally, a unique function for application versatility. 

Buehler announced its latest addition to the Wilson hardness testing range, the new UH4000 Se-ries Universal Hardness Tester.  This tester comes in two key configurations: UH4250 Hardness Scale 0.5-250 kgf and UH4750  Hardness Scale 3-750 kgf.

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division launched DPA Industrial, featuring the new C1 Camera in combination with the well-established AICON DPA Series photogrammetry measurement system.

Eddyfi Technologies announced the latest release of M2M Capture. Natively embedded on both M2M Gekko and M2M Mantis PAUT flaw detectors, Capture v2.3 offers new advanced features and dedicated tools to improve the user experience and speed up NDT inspection.

Titan Tool Supply, Inc. announced the introduction of its new TVS-35 Series Videoscope to provide remote visual inspection for aviation maintenance, casting and cavity inspection, diesel and gasoline engine repair, or locomotive and ship maintenance. 

Building on the previous model, the U41 brings 14 times the data resolution, performs data ac-quisition 10 times faster and the ability to inspect coating twice as thick as before. These benefits promise to deliver increased revenues and a quick return on investment for our customers.